Chapter 15 #2
“No, no!” Darcy said hastily. “There was, I believe, some talk between my late mother and Lady Catherine concerning a possible match between Anne and myself, but I realized some years ago that my cousin and I are ill-suited. We are both very quiet people, and I would thrive with a livelier companion in life. I would thrive with you, Miss Bennet. But I do urge you not to concern yourself regarding my aunt. She will, without a doubt, be very angry by our courtship and, I hope and pray, eventual marriage, but she has no power over either of us.”
“That is true, but she does have power over my friend Charlotte, since the Collinses’ happiness is very much affected by their patroness’s approval.”
Darcy blinked, sighed deeply, and confessed, “I had not thought of that, but you are correct.”
“Now do not take that too much to heart,” Elizabeth cautioned.
“Charlotte is one of my dearest friends, and she is far too selfless to stand in the way of my happiness in marriage. However, I believe that it would be unfair for us to enter a courtship openly at this time, as Lady Catherine would … well, I do not wish to insult your aunt, sir. She is a very determined lady.”
“Indeed she is,” Darcy said with a sigh. “You are entirely correct, Miss Bennet. It would be ill-advised to set the cat among the pigeons by announcing a formal courtship.”
“That does not mean we cannot get to know one another, Mr. Darcy,” the lady replied, her smile lighting up her face. “We will, I am certain, have opportunities to meet at Rosings, and I always walk when the weather is fine.”
Darcy leaned forward impulsively to take Elizabeth’s gloved hand and he pressed a hasty kiss on it. “Thank you, Miss Bennet. I look forward to knowing you better, and I am grateful for your willingness to give me a chance given my previously abhorrent behavior.”
“I fear that my own behavior has been equally abominable, for I championed Mr. Wickham who is, I know now, a completely wretched man,” Elizabeth confessed, her smile fading.
“You are not to be blamed for that,” Darcy said warmly. “The man is handsome, outwardly charming, and has the demeanor and speech of a gentleman, whereas my own manners are stiff, and I often give offense without intending to do so.”
Elizabeth hesitated, her brow crinkled, and then said, “I have a question, sir, but it is rather an intrusive one.”
“I welcome any and all questions from you.”
“Why did you not warn me, or anyone in Meryton and her environs, of Wickham’s wicked character?
He is in prison now, you know, for indebtedness and theft and …
I fear he behaved very improperly with at least two local maidens.
He was the wolf, and we were the sheep, and while I know we were idiotic to trust his outward appearance, you could have warned us. ”
Her tone, near the end of the speech, was rather reproachful, and Darcy sucked in a pained breath and leaned back, struggling to gather his thoughts.
“I ought to have told someone in Hertfordshire, I agree,” he finally said, his own gaze now fixed on a distant copse of weeping willow trees, whose branches, fuzzy with new leaves, drooped near the ground.
“The truth is that less than a year ago, my sister Georgiana went to Ramsgate on holiday along with her former companion, a Mrs. Younge. I was greatly at fault in hiring the woman, as we later discovered that she knew Wickham and was in league with him. Wickham followed Georgiana to Ramsgate, and my sister, who did not know of the man’s deceitful character, and retained fond memories of Wickham’s kindness to her as a child, was convinced by the pair to believe herself in love with Wickham and to consent to an elopement. ”
Elizabeth found herself nearly breathless in horror. She shuddered at the memory of Wickham’s harsh words about Miss Darcy, when he had nearly brought the girl to ruin! What a despicable man!
“What happened?” she whispered fearfully.
He turned to her now and said, “By the grace of God alone, I made an unexpected visit to Ramsgate and found Wickham with Georgiana, with Mrs. Younge nowhere to be seen. He had not … well, there was no physical harm done, thankfully, but of course I was enraged and threw Mrs. Younge and Wickham out. I suppose I ought to have taken firmer steps with Wickham, but Georgiana was devastated and her reputation…”
He gulped hard and Elizabeth said immediately, “I understand completely. A woman’s reputation is a fragile thing, and if Wickham had spoken openly of what had come to pass, it would have been disastrous.”
“Precisely,” Darcy agreed huskily. “I was afraid of challenging him because he does have a ready tongue. All the same, I should have said something to your father or Sir William Lucas. It was more of my despicable pride, I suppose; I was more intent on protecting my own family than considering the dangers of allowing a snake like Wickham to slither freely.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath and said, “You do owe it to your sister to care for her, and Miss Darcy is very shy. She would have been devastated if any whisper of her shame circulated in society. I do not blame you.”
“Thank you,” Darcy said, “though I do blame myself. I am thankful that the man is now locked up where he cannot cause more harm.”
“I am as well,” Elizabeth agreed and pulled out the watch dangling around her neck on a silver chain. She stood up and said, “I need to start walking back, or Charlotte will be worried.”
Darcy stood as well and said hesitantly, “May I accompany you to the parsonage?”
She smiled at him, rather shyly, and said, “Yes, that would be very pleasant.”